Which punk band ruled your town and why?

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For Chicagoans of my generation, it was Naked Raygun. Literate, sing-along buzzsaw punk with real songs. They had the requisite anti-Reaganisms, but also the more introspective tendencies shared with their D.C. counterparts at the time. Always thought they deserved better than footnote status.

― notfazed (notfazed), Monday, 7 April 2003 02:51 (twenty-three years ago)

Half Life

then Submachine

then Aus-Rotten

now Anti-Flag, I guess, and those high school kids who go to see them = not punks.

― mosurock (mosurock), Monday, 7 April 2003 03:46 (twenty-three years ago)

The Vatican Commandos ruled Darien, CT.

― Sean (Sean), Monday, 7 April 2003 03:55 (twenty-three years ago)

The Crucifucks were the hometown heroes of East Lansing, Michigan.

― Douglas (Douglas), Monday, 7 April 2003 04:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Stick Men with Ray Guns. because it's Dallas, and there wasn't much competition, though SMWRG would have still blown em all away.

― Aaron A., Monday, 7 April 2003 04:01 (twenty-three years ago)

Sackville's Carmines ruled over the town through musical ummm, showmanship and a desire for backyard wrestling wich spawned the CWO, which, for those who doubt, 4 LIFE!

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Monday, 7 April 2003 04:01 (twenty-three years ago)

schoolly d.

― jess (dubplatestyle), Monday, 7 April 2003 04:02 (twenty-three years ago)

I grew up in Syracuse in the 70's we had The Flashcubes The Ohms Distortion not much rule to be had here. bad new wave and lots of covers. But it was punk to me!

― SplendidMullet (iamamonkey), Monday, 7 April 2003 04:17 (twenty-three years ago)

Circle K who became Retail Price then the legendary guitarist Chris passed away. They came back as Retail Christ and then became Koyyaannisqatsi then Mike the main singer guitarist went onto Kenji and now is in the Missing 23rd but man... Retail Price was amazing.

― chaki (chaki), Monday, 7 April 2003 04:23 (twenty-three years ago)

Several "Christian punk" bands, none good enough to remember their name.

That's because Arlington didn't have a single (rock) nightclub until a couple of years ago, and even that one's Christian-oriented. And all the Deep Ellum clubs were a pain-in-the-ass to get to when we were 15-16, even when they had an all-ages show.

Now? I don't think I could name a punk band in DFW that was still going and doing well.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 7 April 2003 04:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Wipers

― jack cole (jackcole), Monday, 7 April 2003 05:28 (twenty-three years ago)

In the early 90s, Redding, California had exactly two good bands: the goofy punk band Fat Chick From Wilson Phillips, and the R.E.M.-worshipping alterna-sounds of Case For Radio, who were one of Devil In The Woods Records' first bands.

― Nick Mirov (nick), Monday, 7 April 2003 05:43 (twenty-three years ago)

the smalls whose lead singer is now doing country. and not cuntry.

― anthony easton (anthony), Monday, 7 April 2003 07:02 (twenty-three years ago)

The Spastic Rats ruled my home town.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Monday, 7 April 2003 08:47 (twenty-three years ago)

The K9's ruled Reading because they were arguably the first, probably the best and without question the funniest, madest and most unpredictable.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 7 April 2003 10:58 (twenty-three years ago)

we had stalag 13, dr. know, uh...ill repute i think. the whole 'nardcore' (oxnard, ca hardcore) thing was before i was really aware of what was going on, but you know. it was there.

― your null fame (yournullfame), Monday, 7 April 2003 10:59 (twenty-three years ago)

Agnostic Front!

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 7 April 2003 12:06 (twenty-three years ago)

Flat Stanley

― Chris V. (Chris V), Monday, 7 April 2003 12:07 (twenty-three years ago)

Red Zebra. Only made one worthwhile single (in my opinion *duh*) which was... "Cant stand being in a living room" or something. Sort of Gang of Four on valium

― nathalie (nathalie), Monday, 7 April 2003 12:24 (twenty-three years ago)

The Anti-Nowhere League and the town was Tunbridge Wells. Hmmmm.

― markyd, Monday, 7 April 2003 16:50 (twenty-three years ago)

Dropdead I suppose?

― Jon Williams (ex machina), Monday, 7 April 2003 17:04 (twenty-three years ago)

The Doobie Brothers

― Kris (aqueduct), Monday, 7 April 2003 17:30 (twenty-three years ago)

The Appliances-SFB in Madison, Wisconsin. Great live band, great record band (at least for their debut, SFB, produced, like everything else in Madison in 1984, by Butch Vig). Worth discovering if you've never heard of them. Influenced Killdozer, probably AmRep, too, but so much better than any of them, to my ears at least. SFB is one of the great regional punk records.

― Pete Scholtes, Monday, 7 April 2003 18:42 (twenty-three years ago)

The Clash, because they were about music.

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Monday, 7 April 2003 18:47 (twenty-three years ago)

the figgs, tho their sound was The Jam-punk, not, y'know, punk punk.

― bucky wunderlick (bucky), Monday, 7 April 2003 18:55 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm from London, Ontario (though I no longer live there) and while working at the University Student newspaper, learned about the punk band the Demics, who were around from 1977-1981. I guess the stories about this band are largely based around the enigmatic singer, Keith Whittaker, who had that punk 'fuck you' attitude for most of his music career. There's actually a blue rodeo song about the guy called Rage, and it's really good. Basically just about a guy who lived on the edge but was very inspiring.
Their big single was New York City, which I believe was called best Canadian single by Chart Magazine (or something like that) a few years back.
One of the former members of the band came in to the newspaper office where I worked and told me all about the band. It was wild just to watch the way the guy talked about Whittaker (who died of cancer in the mid-90s), you just knew that this guy would hold on to Keith's every word. Keith was a God to this guy.
Sad part is that I never really owned anything by the band until I moved away to St. John's, Newfoundland, where I found their Talk's Cheap EP in a cheap bin at a Music World. How un-punk rock is that?!

― Jonathan, Monday, 7 April 2003 20:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Hey Jonathan.
I saw this thread and was about to give props to the Demics.
And I too wrote for the Gazette.

Small world.

― Bruce Urquhart (Bruce Urquhart), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 02:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Their big single was New York City, which I believe was called best Canadian single by Chart Magazine (or something like that) a few years back.

#1 Canadian Single of All Time, ahead of American Women even. Godbless that 1996 Chart Critics Poll, it put Sloan's Twice Removed ahead of Blue as it should be.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 03:15 (twenty-three years ago)

I lived in Hueneme, ynf, but that was before punk. I saw the Rotters ("Sit On My Face, Stevie Nix") when I was at UCSB, and I think they're from the 'Nard, or somewhere in VC anyway. And Brandon Cruz is from there.

― nickn (nickn), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 03:36 (twenty-three years ago)

i was always way more of a fan of dr. know after brandon cruz left and before he came back; granted they may have been partially responsible for the 'crossover' thing (d.r.i. were fans, allegedly), i still think 'plug-in jesus' is a classic album.

i lived near mugu, but it was kind of after the nardcore thing had died off.

― your null fame (yournullfame), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 05:08 (twenty-three years ago)

I lived on Ventura Rd, near Hemlock, about as for north as you could go and still be in PH rather than Oxnard. I only remember one song from the 'Nardcore era, "Clean Cut American Kid" (or was that "Boy") by Ill Repute.

― nickn (nickn), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 05:13 (twenty-three years ago)

schoolly d.

haw haw haw ... i see that someone here doesn't want to own up to the Dead Milkmen!

― Tad (llamasfur), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 09:20 (twenty-three years ago)

"my town" i like to consider that to be gainesville still.

i would put my hat in with palatka, moonraker, or don martin 3. asshole parade and end of the century party was good too.

many more would probably say radon though. (more poppy punk than my diet.) or pantro united uk. or less than jake.

― msp, Tuesday, 8 April 2003 14:39 (twenty-three years ago)

Bad Brains, Kraut, Heart Attack.

― Sasha Frere-Jones (Sasha Frere-Jones), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 15:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Native Nod

― die9o (dhadis), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 16:09 (twenty-three years ago)

Wait, does Y&T count as punk? I think they're from San Jose too.

― Kris (aqueduct), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 16:30 (twenty-three years ago)

Nick Mirov wrote:
In the early 90s, Redding, California had exactly two good bands: the goofy punk band Fat Chick From Wilson Phillips, and the R.E.M.-worshipping alterna-sounds of Case For Radio, who were one of Devil In The Woods Records' first bands.

dude, knapsack were from redding.

your null fame writes:
we had stalag 13, dr. know, uh...ill repute i think. the whole 'nardcore' (oxnard, ca hardcore) thing was before i was really aware of what was going on, but you know. it was there.

then nick n. writes:

followed by ynf's reply:

then nick n. counters:

it took you guys 4 posts to get to ILL REPUTE... for shame.

hometown: the windbreakers? rl burnside? elvis? there was a hardcore band from hattiesburg i think...
current: crime, the zip code rapists

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 16:47 (twenty-three years ago)

By the time I started going to shows in Louisville, some of the greatest bands had passed (Squirrel Bait, Solution Unknown, Spot, Maurice, Malignant Growth/Fading Out, etc.). But some great things seem to rise from the ashes, not necessarily "punk" musically, but definitely a part of that scene. Kinghorse (Sabbath-y hardcore band, later produced by Danzig, with Solution Unknown/Maurice/Fading Out members); Cerebellum (morphed into Crain, with ex-Spot - Drew Daniel from Matmos was in this band too); Slint (Squirrel Bait & Maurice members); Endpoint (okay, okay! but for a l'il while there they were pretty good) and many others. By the early 1990s, there were enough crazy-good (or at least, better than mediocre) bands around to make someone like me who was too young to see Solution Unknown or Slint forget how lame I was for missing out.

― hstencil, Tuesday, 8 April 2003 17:19 (twenty-three years ago)

The Crucifucks were the hometown heroes of East Lansing, Michigan.

(I never saw them, but I remember the flyers).

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 17:34 (twenty-three years ago)

I thought Knapsack was from Davis.

― Kris (aqueduct), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 17:39 (twenty-three years ago)

They went to school in Davis but they were from Redding.

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 17:46 (twenty-three years ago)

My neighborhood was pretty lame for punk music. Everyone wore the exact same Misfits t-shirt and stood around smoking cigarettes.

― Ally (mlescaut), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 18:21 (twenty-three years ago)

Total Passover! Jewish pop punk from Iowa that had nothing to do with being Jewish and a lot to do with being from Iowa. Album titles like "Shalom Motherfucker" and "Schlomo Rising" were pretty funny at the time (around 89-95). I wouldn't say they ruled the town, but they were probably the most popular punk band to come from the area (Des Moines/Ames).

― Bobby D Gray (bedhead), Tuesday, 8 April 2003 19:17 (twenty-three years ago)

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